His Final Wish
by Paroozaa
Summary: Taking a detour from Elder Gods and prophecies, Raziel pensively trudges through the corpse of what had been his former haven and recollects the filaments of his past love life along the way. M/M romance involving Raziel and an OC.
1. Return to Ruin

The mansion before me stood strong and whole, but its radiance and sense of ferment had long vanished since my exile centuries before. There was little I could still capture with the same fondness I had so long ago, yet even if the walls had been refurbished or the anterior cleaned to a shine, it would have still lacked the one object that had given it meaning.

To enter what had been my forest retreat, I needed to go through the trap door that would lead me directly to the underground assembly area. No other entrances were visibly available for I had built the area with the intentions of keeping unwelcome guests unwelcome. Located to the far east of the complex itself, the trapdoor was a heavy thing hidden within a cave. Only a creature capable of either considerable telekinesis or considerable strength would have been able to lift the door.

The assembly area, once the grandest of all chambers, was now adorned with debris and broken architecture. Though I understood all too well the susceptibility of things-tangible or otherwise-to the decay of time, I still could not forsaken the sadness that had overwhelmed me then.

"This place has remained rather cheery...No?"

Who else should I find but the ever so diligent Kain? I summoned the wraith blade forward, warning the wretched vampire to keep his distance. He was no welcome fiend in these parts.

Kain gestured to the ground below him as he calmly chided, "Lest you wish to disturb the peace that has long settled in these parts, Raziel, save your wrath for another time and place."

Refusing to dispel the Reaver and my rising anger, I eyed him coldly, "Why are you here?"

"To pay my respects, of course."

"'Kain' and 'respect', used in the same context? I have never known you for having a sense of humor."

He chuckled at my blunt skepticism, crossing his arms about his chest. "You know, he chose this very hall for his final resting place. The young man asked me, of all vampires, to bury him because he could trust no other to complete the task. Funny, isn't it?"

I had no reason not to trust his words. After all, I knew since the day I erected the place that it and its contents could not remain hidden from Kain for very long. The fact my former master had admitted to sullying himself to bury a mortal, however…

My wolfish gaze continued to hound him. "Then you know what became of him."

His pacing came to a sudden halt as he reached the doorway at the far end of the room.

"Why not see what became of your beloved for yourself?"

* * *

><p>Thanks for taking the time to read my first FanFic! I hope you enjoyed it. A very small chapter, but it's just to get our feet wet. There will be lots of switching between past and present as the story proceeds, so beware! Lol : ) Again, thanks for reading!<p> 


	2. Chance Encounters

Immortal sons and daughters were we all, regal creatures of strength and magnificence united under the allegiance of our lord and father Kain. There was little we feared in the damned hell of Nosgoth, and thus there was much that feared us. Determinant in the cycle of death, we held the lives of every mortal creature within our hands, and all who dared to prove otherwise have perished asunder to damnations lower than Nosgoth. There was no fairness, no mercy for the weaker blood; only the iron hand of tyranny and justice. What was left for mankind to hope for in such dark ages?

The infernal human seemed eager to answer my unvoiced question. Hooded in a thin and tattered robe, he stood indifferently as if without fear or hatred for our noble race, even as his kin scurried to the confines of their rickety homes. I inquired with an arch of a brow, "Do you so look forward to death?"

The man averted his gaze towards the floor, his courageous façade dissipating beneath the shadow of his hood.

I clutched the throat of his robe and pulled him closer, brandishing my inhuman fangs for the exultance of soft, mortal flesh. His hood fell away from the force of my clutch to reveal his porcelain countenance, its edges outlined by the tepid glow of moonlight. The vibrant red of the veins his blood ran deep within his flushed cheeks, a slight contrast against the backdrop of the starry night. A youth at the prime of his manhood, he was gifted with winsomely boyish features which would have seduced any vampire to indulge in his darkest desires. Endowed with such rich qualities, it was obvious he was not so plebeian as he poorly disguised himself to be.

I realized, in my stupefied trance, that it was strangely difficult to tear my gaze from his fearless stare. They were shards of emerald, a fine compliment to the curls of his chestnut hair; his lips as well were inviting but cruelly tantalizing, full and deeply saturated unlike the walking corpses of his neighbors. They moved slowly, as if to say something, but my claw about his throat obstructed any speech.

Caught in the web of his beauty, I realized that for the first time in nearly a millennia of unlife, I felt hesitation to mar a single human's flesh with my claws. I could hardly explain nor fathom this sorcery that had overtaken my thoughts let alone understand it. He was not the first rare creature I captured, but I had never hesitated to penetrate beauty before. The young man did not resist my power whatsoever, having embraced the chill of near-death instead. Townsfolk began to peer through the cracks of their windows, and my senses were inundated with the buzzing of their rumors and gossip. However, the sudden and distant clashes of thunder looming dauntingly above us petrified them into the darkness of their holes. I cast the sky an oblique glance, vexed to witness storm clouds rolling in our direction. The young man began to struggle within my grasp as the drizzle pattered lightly against the town roads, pleading, strangely, for _me_ to take cover from the rain.

Forced and frustrated by circumstance to make a final decision, I gathered his form in a crumpled heap and lunged towards the Sanctuary of the Clans.

**רזיאל**

I trudged towards the apex of my complex, dripping wet, to place his unconscious form upon the altar that I often used for more favorable victims. The searing of my flesh was barely enough to keep my mind from wondering what immaterial thing shackled me from doing him harm. Sheer luck of rain and quake transpiring then and there could not have been more coincidence, either, though Nosgoth was known for its turmoil. Had I left him behind alive, however, my reputation amongst the humans and eventually the clans would have surely tarnished…

I looked to my victim laying peacefully upon the throne. His chest steadily rose and fell as he remained sound asleep, unfazed and wholly alive. I pondered the direness of my predicament and situated myself next to him, struggling to remain steady as my strength continued to wane. I thought to try feeding again, but upon removing his sodden rag, I was taken aback by the staid artifact wound lovingly about his neck-a silver uroboros adorned with a sapphire for an eye. This strange artifact, coated by an austere guise, seemed to beckon me forth…

I had not realized he had awakened when I recovered from the uroboros's intoxicating trance. An inner sense of tranquility had filled every crevice of my being, and as much as I was tempted to cry out in agitation from falling victim to his infernal magic, I could not. My hand crept to it, and he stared curiously through hawk-like eyes. I muttered as threateningly as I could in my all too serene state, "You are only alive because of this."

"You are not the first," he replied. The brevity of his words raised some alarm within me, and with sheer force of will I was able to tear the blasted artifact from his neck and cast it across the room. "Are you so threatened by it?"

I hissed, clutching him with renewed fervor, "You would bend my mind with it."

"Believe what you will," he uttered, "But know that I am not your enemy. Not to you or any other vampire."

I arched a brow, skeptical. "Enemy and prey are one and the same."

"Yet you forestall my death. Please, the necklace is not a thing of malice. Especially not for vampires. It is more…"

"A drug," I cynically chimed in for him.

"If the term pleases you, then fine." I growled impatiently, the young man pursing his lips as he scrutinized me carefully. Before my weary mind could react, he raised his hand to caress the edges of my lips, perhaps at realizing my wavering strength. The heat of his form embraced my cold vessel, and I could feel his heartbeat racing beneath me as I welcomed and held him in return. All qualms were so easily and eagerly forgotten, cast aside for this single, fleeting moment. I knew I was captivated by his beauty first and foremost, and now I eagerly acknowledged the allure of his life force. My lips found his naked shoulder as his hand discovered a place among the crook of my neck to hold, and soon I was revitalized with his pure, untainted blood.

"Milord."

We were both startled to see Avner, my own first-born son, standing at the mouth of the entrance. We hastily pulled away from each other as if caught committing some obscene act, stealing glances when we realized that perhaps we were very close to indeed. Apprehending his intrusion, Avner bowed low, his crimson epaulet brushing against the floor. "My sincerest apologies."

I sighed, rubbing my temple with the knuckle of a finger. "Yes, Avner?"

"The rain. I wanted only to see...Nilec?"

"Nilec?" I repeated in astonishment, "Nilec! You know him, Avner?"

"You are not the first," the young man beside me whispered so as not to offend. He shrugged his shoulders as Avner executed another bow.

"Forgive me, sire, Nilec and I…He…" His humiliation could not have been made more obvious. He delivered another bow.

"I understand well enough," I reassured him awkwardly, rising from my seat beside the man named Nilec. I did not want to prompt Avner further for fear he would shame himself unintentionally, though his constant glances at the young man was confession enough. My own son, fallen to infatuation with a mortal, the very thing we were sworn to purge! Yet as I glanced once more to this Nilec, I could not help but notice for a second time the lasciviousness of his nature and how I myself had fallen prey to his allure just now. A devilish smirk played on his lips as he caught my own stolen glances. I sneered in return, "You are a wicked little thing, aren't you?"

"A harmless one," he casually replied, tearing a strip of cloth from his pant leg to dress the perforation on his shoulder.

Indeed, he seemed used to this.

**רזיאל**

Outside, the downpour continued its relentless drumming against the ornate glass windows. Avner stood beside Nilec like a sentinel, delivering unbidden glances to the mortal whose listless eyes rested upon the stone tiles. I stood alone in contemplation, shuffling the artifact within my hand and relishing the same calming sensations as before. Although it seemed Avner's feelings for Nilec himself were unerring, even if he were unaware of the ancient trinket's prowess.

I sighed heavily to myself when I realized only one viable option would present itself to me. There were secrets to him, I felt, that I should discover, and I simply could not let him pass as any other one of my victims. After all, such beauty could not be wasted.

Avner came to stand beside me when Nilec's breathing had slowed to a sleeper's pace again, no doubt weak from satiating my blood thirst earlier. Keeping my eyes on Nilec, I quietly confessed to Avner my impairing intentions. "No one shall know of Nilec, and no one shall find him."

"Of course, Milord."

"Especially not Kain."

Without a second's hesitation, Avner agreed upon the eternal silence of Nilec's existence.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading!

In case some of you were lost, this was a flashback. Sort of. Better put, a single story told through two separate timelines. Lol, nvm, ignore me :r

Avner & Nilec are OCs

Raziel & Kain (c) Eidos and Crystal Dynamics


	3. Revealing the Pebble

The door stood shut before me now, hauntingly familiar. What had Kain hinted at when he mentioned seeing my beloved again? Could it be that the man I had kept locked away out of love so long ago might still linger here, forever trapped perhaps as a haunting spirit? Did I create another pitiful Ariel, a mourning specter bound to a single place? A part of me feared such was the answer, yet another feared no such chances at reunion existed.

The door bellowed a great plume of dust as I proceeded. The main hall was much like the assembly area; broken, dull, and long abandoned. The winding stairs, at least, had remained largely intact. An old effigy of my vampire self guarded the final landing of the steps, mysteriously pristine and whole as though someone or something had taken great pains to preserve it. A sign of hope or dread, my mind twirled in anxiety.

The library, conjoined with Nilec's room, had remained pristine as its inanimate guardian outside. Books of every age and structure Nilec had collected over the ages were set in accordance to name amongst the shelves. A fireplace was situated against the wall and a simple armchair just paces away from it, ominously inviting.

One of the bookshelves served as an entrance to Nilec's chambers. It already stood open, the glimmering gold and velvet of the room's interior reflecting off my hide as I approached. The tonic design was of my own making, crafted for my most noblest of patricians and beloved of victims. A glass chandelier still shined as it did centuries ago high above; the crimson carpet was rich and vibrant, gentle to the touch; and the bed, Nilec's and my beloved bed, was always a large and neatly prepared thing.

Easing the shelf shut behind me, I saw Kain standing near the bedpost across the room, his expression an indecipherable veil. He seemed to be in a moment of peaceful reminiscence, his arms loosely crossed and his eyes sleepy, reflective globes. "I'm afraid his spirit has…Taken flight."

"Nilec was here?" I asked.

As I approached him, he tossed me a worn journal compromised of torn pages and maddening scribbles. Although no words could be comprehended, the larger message was clear; Nilec had gone mad.

"He always grieved he lived a tragic fairytale, even in death."

Some feral paroxysm within me blazed alight at Kain's accusing tone. "What could you know of Nilec?"

Kain seethed with equal rage. "And why were you so compelled by a petty romance to risk your life and reputation? Why had you felt so obligated to build this fortress, this _prison_, to guard a single man whose life was as insignificant as the next squandering mortal?"

I realized with certainty this was the very argument I feared to confront centuries ago. Long before, I had reprimanded myself with the same questions and wondered why I clung to a scandal that could have easily led to my downfall. As I gazed upon the true slayer of my glory now, however, such frivolous concerns seemed but a stark reminder of the fear Kain's tyrannical rule instilled even in me.

Silence was answer enough.

A strange satisfaction twinkled behind his predatory gaze. The echo of his abrupt chuckle reverberated throughout the chambers, "Ah, do not muddle your mind with fantasies of romance, Raziel. Seeing as Nilec is too much of a coward to face you, I shall be the one to enlighten your misled illusions.

"Nilec is like a leaden pebble many overlook in a mural, a diminutive detail with a significant purpose. That purpose, Raziel, had everything to do with you."

"Let the past be, Kain!" There were only so many memories that he had yet to taint with his "truths", and I was not willing to let him ruin what little I had left.

He continued without remorse, stalking closer and closer with each terrible revelation. "His destiny-his very existence-intertwined with yours, and because you chose to keep him alive, he was the one to truly set your destiny in motion. Without him, you may not have been cast into the Abyss at the time you did. Without him, I would not have seen the signs of fate when I did. Without him, the inevitable prophecy could have possibly been forestalled.

"So you see, Nilec was nothing more than a tool. A tool that was designed, in the end, to serve _me."_


End file.
